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<title>The Lurking Eye Affair by SierraDeCobre</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27336787">The Lurking Eye Affair</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SierraDeCobre/pseuds/SierraDeCobre'>SierraDeCobre</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 23:55:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,250</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27336787</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SierraDeCobre/pseuds/SierraDeCobre</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>An illusion that masks reality, sets Illya on the verge of a mental breakdown... but Napoleon Solo is there to save him from the monster under the bed. -Story by request in the Halloween 2020 challenge from LiveJournal MFU community</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Lurking Eye Affair</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Illya sat up, startled, thinking he had called for Napoleon, but it could have been a dream. He was rubbing his face with his hands when the door of the bedroom opened quietly. He held his breath, convinced that he was about to scream. Suddenly, someone turned on the lamp on the night table. It was Napoleon. He stood in the doorway, studying the Russian with concern. </p><p>“Are you okay? Was it a nightmare?”</p><p>“They’re looking at me!” </p><p>“Who? The roses?” Napoleon pointed at the vase with some roses neatly tied together with a pink bow. “These are from the girls in Section Four. They sent them to wish you well.”</p><p>Illya glared at the flowers.  An eye opened and looked back at him through the petals. He turned his head, shutting his eyes as a wave of pure panic washed over him. “Take them out of here! Please!”</p><p>Napoleon picked up the card and the vase and put them on the hallway. “They’re gone, okay?” He smiled and closed the door. “You know that roses can’t stare at you, right?”</p><p>“They can, if they have big eyes…” he gasped, making an attempt to get up.</p><p>“Hey, don’t.” Napoleon sat down on the edge of the bed. “You’re not leaving this room. You’re not well enough.”</p><p>“I am… I am better.” Illya blinked, staring at the floor. “Is the floor lava?”</p><p>“Ah… no but perhaps you should stay in bed, just in case I’m wrong.” Napoleon pushed him down, gently.</p><p>Illya nodded without putting up any resistance. “You should, should do that too… Get your feet off the floor.”</p><p>Napoleon did as his friend said to spare him more stress. Doctor Tower had not sounded too concerned when he had sent Illya home,  but he had made it clear that the Russian should not be left alone for too long. “Why don’t you lie down and sleep a little? I’ll be right here. ” Napoleon took off his shoes and sat cross legged at the foot of the bed. </p><p>His words reached his friend like the sound of a recording slowing down. Illya sat up, hugging his knees against his chest. “Do you think this is something I can just sleep off?”</p><p>“Actually, yes.” He ignored Illya’s touch of recrimination. “The effects of fear gas will wear away eventually. Dr Tower-”</p><p>“Ah, you were talking to Tower again?” </p><p>“Paranoia is another side effect of the fear gas, you know?”</p><p>Illya pressed his lips and grunted in frustration because at this point he could not find anything to reply to that. “What else did he tell you, that I should sleep more?”</p><p>“Sleeping does wonders for the tired mind.”</p><p>“I’m not tired… I just, just-” Illya gasped. “Did you hear that?”</p><p>Napoleon frowned, listening for any unusual noise. “Nope, what did you hear?”</p><p>“The closet door, it just opened by itself.” He stared over Napoleon’s shoulder as the light in the closet went on. Fear was paralyzing and even when he wanted to look away, he kept his eyes on the closet. A feather of smoke began to float upwards, slowly shaping itself into human form. Long arms extended behind Napoleon, threatening to close around his neck. </p><p>Napoleon turned to see the closet and shrugged. “It’s not open… Illya?” </p><p>The Russian kept staring, unable to move. Cold sweat beaded his forehead and chills ran down his spine as an eye opened in the shadow. It was the same eye whose gaze had been torturing him through the roses. “You’re not there!” He shook his head, crawling back against the headboard. </p><p>“Illya, focus, there’s nothing there.” Napoleon leaned forward. “It’s the effects of the gas, remember? Close your eyes, there’s nothing else in your closet but your clothes. Now, give me your hand.”</p><p>Illya shut his eyes, trying to control his breathing. Suddenly, he frowned. “What?”</p><p>“Your hand, I need to check your pulse,” he smiled and held Illya’s wrist. “It’s a little fast. Headaches?”</p><p>“You sound like Ben Casey,” Illya smirked.</p><p>“Don’t flatter me. Do you still have a headache?”</p><p>Illya nodded reluctantly. He opened his eyes and saw the shadow with the one glaring eye crawl across the floor and under his bed. He gasped and shut his eyes again. Damn nightmares seemed to have no end.</p><p>Napoleon put a pill in Illya’s hand and picked up a glass of water from the night table. “Here,” he sat next to him, squeezing his friend’s arm. “I’m here, Illya. You need to trust me more than your own senses, okay?”</p><p>Illya swallowed the pill and sighed. “It comes and goes... Everything is just so scary.”</p><p>“Get under the covers, you need to stay warm. What will it take to make you fall asleep?”</p><p>“I don’t sleep that much,” Illya smirked but did as Napoleon told him. “Not even when I was a little boy.”</p><p>“Really? I bet your grandmother knew how to make you sleep.”</p><p>That brought a faint smile to the Russian’s lips. “Babushka sang me lullabies… You’re not going to sing me a lullaby, are you?”</p><p>“If that’s what it takes,” Napoleon cleared his throat as he remembered some lyrics. “Come on along and listen to The lullaby of Broadway, The hip hooray and ballyhoo The lullaby of Broadway…”</p><p>“That’s not even a lullaby,” Illya laughed, dropping his head on the pillow. “You’re crazy… are you sure you didn’t breathe that gas too?”</p><p>“No, there was not much left thanks to you.” Napoleon had been beating himself over not having been there when the accident happened. “I’m so sorry about that. I should’ve been there.”</p><p>“And we would be sharing a room in a mental ward… I’m just glad you’re here, the sane one.”</p><p>“You’re sane too. I don’t know how you managed, though. The fear gas is a little stronger this year.”</p><p>“Yeah, they’re improving the formula. Hopefully the guys in the laboratory will find a neutralizing agent.” Illya covered a yawn with his hand. </p><p>“They will, thanks to the samples you brought. Excuse me,” Napoleon took Illya’s hand again. “Your pulse is back to normal.”</p><p>“Prognosis?”</p><p>“You’re coming back to normal too, whatever that means for you.” Napoleon stretched and got up. “Go to sleep or I’ll sing you another lullaby.”</p><p>Illya sighed deeply, trying to control his breathing. Everything looked clear now until the one-eyed shadow knocked under the bed. “Please, leave the lights on... “ He felt his anxiety crawling back as Napoleon walked away. “And don’t close the door…” </p><p>Napoleon nodded.</p><p>“Napoleon!” Illya sat up. “Would you look under my bed, please?” He stared at his friend intently, without feeling embarrassed at all.</p><p>“Certainly,” Napoleon came back, took a flashlight out of his pocket and knelt down. “Aha… nope, nothing.” He got up and went to the closet for a blanket. “How do you manage to keep your place so clean? We’re at the office basically 24/7.”</p><p>“What are you doing?”</p><p>“I’m taking over your comfy chair,” he pointed at the chair by the window. “I’ll keep your monsters at bay while you sleep. You can thank me later, when I ask you to do the paperwork.” </p><p>“Okay,” Illya gave him a sleepy smile. The creepy eye would not have a chance with Napoleon Solo watching over him. He laid down again but he was asleep before he could say anything else.</p><p>Napoleon opened the book from the small table in front of him and gave Illya one last look. “Sweet dreams, partner.”</p><p>The End</p>
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